Better than a ring
by PaceyRowe
Summary: Maybe he's been looking for the wrong item all this time and he hasn't even realized. They are far from normal – both as individuals and even more so as a couple – and, perhaps, the representation of their love and partnership should be as unique as they are.


**Disclaimer:** Arrow belongs to the CW, Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisber and DC Comics. Any recognizable character belongs to them and I'm just borrowing them for fun.

**AN:** My native language isn't English so all the mistakes are mine and mine alone as I don't have a beta. If you spot any, please let me know so I can correct them as fast as possible.  
I found the inspiration for this piece from a little piece of jewelry I came across while surfing the web and I instantly thought it'd fit Oliver and Felicity perfectly. This is the url where you can find it, although I've changed some things to suit it to my needs: wiki/Love_bracelet_(Cartier)  
I hope you enjoy.

BETTER THAN A RING

He's getting pissed off and there's no denying it. He has tried ‐ really, really hard ‐ to calm down and let the salesman do his job but it's pointless and he only grows more and more agitated with every item he shows to him, which ends up discarded in a shiny, growing little mountain that mocks him for his failure.  
In the back of his mind he had known it would be pointless to try another jewelry shop after the long list he has looked into before. But this is it, no more. If he doesn't find anything here he's going to send everything to hell.

This is more for him than for her, he knows that. She has never outwardly said anything about it but she also doesn't need to. He knows her better than anyone, just like she knows him better than anyone, and she couldn't care less if he asked for her hand without anything to show for it. Just being together is enough, she'll say to him. But he wants something ‐ anything, really ‐ that represents how much he loves her, how much she means to him, how much he cherishes her, how deep the bond they share runs. Is it too much to ask for?

Apparently it is. Or maybe he's just too picky. Or the universe is conspiring against him. At this point he's willing to believe anything.  
The first thing he tried was the family vault. The moment he realized he needed to ask Felicity to be his wife his feet took him to the Starling City Bank without even noticing. He spent no little than three hours there ‐ something he was questioned at length later, and barely managed to deflect, by none other than the muse of the impromptu trip ‐ but he found nothing. Sure, the Queen family has a lot of jewels but none worthy of his love for Felicity. None represent what she means to him, what her love means to him and, less of all, show his deep dedication and devotion for her.

He perused large stones ‐ that would only hinder her moves on the keyboard and make her uncomfortable ‐, shiny diamonds ‐ which were absolutely not her style, at all; she's unique and, as much as they advertise them to be the girl's best friends, he's positive they'll never be that close to her heart ‐ and even the most antique and rare family sets ‐ that, while they surely fit her in style and would be perfect for her work in front of the computers, they're quite bland and he really doesn't see her with any of them.

He left the bank sad and distraught ‐ although it was more like he was politely kicked out, given the fact that he had stayed well past the open hours and had had them overworked for a very long time with his intense and fruitless search. He had wanted to propose that same night, after he had taken her to her apartment; he even had everything mapped out.  
They would leave the foundry earlier than usual, as they only had light patrol scheduled, and he would accompany her to her apartment as he's used to now. He would draw them a bath and they would finish the bottle of wine he had left there from their last night in. They would relax and talk and laugh and simply enjoy each other as the water ran cold. Only then he would take her to bed where he would pepper her whole body in kisses, where he would give her as much pleasure as they both can handle. When she collapsed and tucked herself into his side to sleep he would sneak the ring into her finger and kiss her awake, hoping she would say yes.

He had thought it was simple, he had thought it would be easy; but it wasn't.  
He tried again the next day, going to his mother's trusted jeweler. It was also a great disaster. Not only didn't he find what he was looking for, he also exasperated the man to such a degree he called his mother telling her that in future venues he would deal with her and her alone. It was embarrassing; he had been chastised at his age. If he hadn't been so disgruntled and angry at his continual failure he would have been flustered in outrage and shame. What he did, instead, was to ask for advice. His mother was a woman, a classy woman at that, and, perhaps, he was being a little dramatic in what Felicity needed for an engagement ring; so they shopped together. At least, they tried to… for two stores. He fired her after that.

It was even harder with her by his side, and that's saying something. Not only did he have to listen to the quality and other nonsense he absolutely didn't care about from the salesman but he also had to hear his mother shut down his opinions and praise her own picks. If it wasn't just for that he also had the deal breaker that any ring tried out on his mother's hand was instantly out of the realm of possibility. Felicity's ring was hers and hers alone, no one else would ever wear it before or after her; it was the symbol of their love, the only thing she wasn't supposed to ever take out. Not to mention it was a little creepy trying to picture Felicity's very talented hands out of his mother's. No, that partnership was doomed from the start and he had been naïve enough not to have seen it before.

He fled solo once again, but it didn't take either. And then he recruited Thea which, in result, was the worst idea in the world. They didn't even manage to finish the first store.  
He doesn't know if it was her overexcitement, her never-ending flow of sarcasm or her constant teasing but he couldn't take it. He left after five rings, fuming. He had painfully discovered how hard this stuff actually was and he didn't need all that crap to top it all.

He was so tired, so discouraged and so, so angry he punished his body so hard he had almost exerted himself before either Digg or Felicity appeared in the foundry. It also led to one of their worst fights to date as a couple, and he shudders even thinking about it now. But, despite the few hellish days they spent apart, cooling down and decompressing until he went crawling for her forgiveness, he never thought back about marrying her. He was going to make her his wife even if it was the last thing he did in this life and a stupid ring search wasn't going to squash his dream.  
He had survived in the island. He had suffered in purgatory for five long years, dammit!  
He's the Arrow; he fights criminals and super-powered men and keeps his city safe, for crying out loud!  
He's also CEO for Queen Consolidated, have been for years now, in fact. He owns a nightclub. And, somehow, he balances all that and manages to be a decent boyfriend, friend, brother and son. That's hard, that's difficult, not finding a ring for his future bride.

With renewed strength and mentality he started the search anew, only he brought his team in on it; things always go more smoothly if they work together.  
Felicity is the most intelligent person he has ever met, but she can be quite blind and unassuming in anything that has to do with them or how deep his feelings run for her. It actually took him five long and draining arguments to make her understand that, no, he wasn't kidding when he said they really were in a romantic relationship. That, yes, all those outings alone were, in fact, dates. And, no, they weren't friendly dates but dates-dates; dates he had had to restrain himself from jumping her bones at or kiss her senseless afterwards because the last thing he wanted to do was scared her off with the intensity of his feelings. That, yes, he was sure he wanted her and her alone and don't ever dare to compare herself to Laurel in front of him again because he wasn't going to let her deflect from this conversation and it was a moot point anyway; that ship had sailed a long time ago. That, yes, he knew about the distinction between love and attraction and friendship and he knew perfectly well where each one of them fitted in his life and heart. That, yes, he was attracted to her and, yes, he was really stupid for having waited for so long but, in his defense, he wasn't the one making things very hard at the moment. That, for the love of God, let him keep kissing her because he has been dying to for years now and doesn't want to stop ever again.

All throughout their relationship it has been like this ‐ let's not talk about the nightmare it is not having her agree that they are actually living together, have been for the last couple of months. Why would all his clothes and toiletries and basic stuff be doing in her apartment if they were not sharing it? He even pays for half of the bills! All of them, actually, but he's smart enough not to tell her that or the existence of the hidden account he opened for her a while ago to store all the money she shouldn't be wasting in needless things he can perfectly take care off because all of his is going to be hers soon enough anyway ‐ so he was not overly worried about dropping hints.

Through little innocuous talks filled with meaning ‐ an art he perfect a long time ago just for her ‐ he learns even more things about her and picks up a lot of things he was sure were already stored in the back of his mind. But he feels better knowing he really is an expert in all things Felicity Smoak.  
Just as he expected, she doesn't want something big and she doesn't want something flashy. She wants something out of the ordinary solitaire ‐ because it's so boring and so typical she cringed for just a second when the conversation stirred that way; so, yes, that's out ‐, she wants something that represents them. Most of all she doesn't want to know the price; that's always a deal breaker for her.  
She wasn't much help but he was proud to realize he had read her correctly in every way and that he was on the right, but very elusive path, to perfection.

Diggle was his guy then. They both have known Felicity for a very long time and he, in fact, had done this routine once before. They looked tirelessly, from big jewelry chains to small shops to even antique stores. Nothing, nada, zilch.  
It was so discouraging he even thought the universe was telling him to stop this madness, to keep enjoying his life with Felicity as it was. Diggle laughed at him and tried to keep his hopes up, saying that in the next store they would find the perfect fit for both of them. But it was Digg who actually found the perfect match… for his ex-wife. If that's not enough to tear at someone's nerves he doesn't know what is. Worst of all, he wasn't even thinking about proposing again until the ring gave him the idea.

He was so mad after his friend's traitor purchase he spent two weeks glaring at him and refusing to even talk to him except when the need arose in their line of work. He only started to speak to him when he almost died on him, ring still stored in his pants' pocket.  
It was so bad he had to take him to the hospital, and he almost didn't make it on time. There he was either restlessly pacing up and down the long hallway waiting for news or holding the equally destroyed women who refused to cry on his shoulders. All the while he felt the weight of the ring ‐ safely stored in his pocket now ‐ pull him down, getting heavier and heavier the longer the hours became.  
The moment Digg was out of danger and they were alone ‐ truly alone and out of earshot from both fretting women ‐ he took the ring out and told him to propose right there and then. Life did not wait in their line of work and they had to make the most of the time they got together.  
Not long afterwards he embraced Lyla again only, this time, she was swallowing tears of joy and he could breathe properly.

He dropped his plans for the moment then, preferring to focus in pulling Lyla and Digg's wedding and fast and as smoothly as possible. It was a simple and quiet affair with only the closest family and friends accompanying them from the courthouse to Verdant, where they insisted to hold the reception.  
Digg was as happy as he has ever seen him and Lyla made a beautiful bride but Felicity was radiant, absolutely breathtaking, as she took picture after picture of every single moment she deemed worthy. If he closed his eyes he could see the pale yellow of her long dress wash out until it became white. He could see the camera transform into a bouquet of flowers and he could see her aimless steps around the happy couple become a purposeful walk down the aisle… to him.

He wanted that so badly it almost hurt to think he might never get it but he was thoroughly shaken out of his morose thoughts, time and time again, by her smile and small touches and kisses. They weren't overly affectionate in public, no more than they had usually been throughout their friendship, but she must have sensed he need to feel her near and she never shied away then; even if the tips of her ears reddened in embarrassment.  
She didn't know what had him down, what had had him off for months now, but she has always managed to brighten him up no matter what; even before they started their relationship. He always wondered why did she never ask, why did she never push, but, when she wanted, Felicity Smoak could have the patience of a saint. He should know from experience.  
She knows he will talk, sooner or later, there's nothing he can or want to hide from her but, sometimes, he needs space to think and brood and breathe. So she always waits and he always marvels and that's why they work and will continue to word until the end of their days.

That realization almost brought him to his knees, willing to forget the stupid ring quest and ask her right there and then; traditionalism be damned. The bride and groom thwarted his plans with their first dance ‐ or second, really, now that he thinks about it ‐, but he can hardly blame them; it's for the best. That was their moment and Felicity deserves her moment to shine too, he doesn't know anyone worthier than her.

So he waits and waits some more until he finally feels ready to search again, returning to the very same store he fled months ago running from Thea's condescending glances and sharp tongue. Which brings him here, to this moment, where he's failing spectacularly once again and he's more than a little irritated by the man in front of him.

Whether he finally manages to find something or not it's pointless. This is it. Tonight he's going to propose the moment he sets foot in her vicinity and nothing and no one is going to stop him. It's been dragging for far too long and, frankly, it's getting ridiculous.  
They could have been married for months! Months! Because he refuses to believe she would want one of those stupid long engagements and dragged out wedding plans they neither desire nor have any time for.  
The moment she says yes they are going to have exactly 3 months ‐ the amount of time he has researched will make everything possible without overstressing her and giving Thea enough space for illusions that turns the most important day of their lives into a circus ‐ to tie the knot and be together forever. Not being her husband isn't something he's going to miss out on any longer, not after almost losing her. It's not an option. When their time comes they're going to leave this world as husband and wife and, preferably, together; there's no other possibility in his mind.

He tries to focus again when the salesman brings two more rings' collections from the back of the store but the can of worms have been opened and the only thing he can do is tense up and make himself as stoic as possible as the onslaught of memories from a couple of weeks ago take over him. The shiny little pieces in front of him completely forgotten.

He didn't want to come and, as he rides in the back of the ambulance holding her freezing hand in his bloodied but warm ones, he knows he should have listened to his gut. It has never failed him before. The thing is he couldn't have predicted any of this, because it was supposed to be a quiet evening; a regular evening where he got to enjoy right by her side, beaming at her cheery laughs and easy smiles. They believed the danger was out and they were so very mistaken.

The city has been almost in peace for the last few years, they certainly have worked their asses off to make sure of that. Even so, criminality hasn't gone away completely and the city mafias always try to make a comeback when they feel they have gathered enough manpower to outsmart and outman both him and the Starling City Police. They surely try but they also end up going down in the end.

The past month have been one of those moments: from the rumors running on the streets about the Bertinelli group coming back from their long overcooled ashes to the joint taskforce of Starling City's finest and the resident hero, commandeered by none other than Commissioner Lance and one Felicity Smoak, to end the new threat.  
He couldn't believe it when Helena Bertinelli, the same woman who sold her soul to end with her own father's devious ways, was pulling the strings and claiming everything she'd set to destroy such long ago.

Felicity didn't like it one bit and he was even more worried than he had ever been in years. She certainly had a vendetta against both of them and represented a huge threat not only for their cover identities and operation or even the whole city if her plan was fruitful, but for their personal lives as well.  
He cannot recall a moment in all the time they have known each other where Felicity has been more upset or cold towards him, and he did sleep with Isabel Rochev when he was unknowingly in love with his IT girl disappointing her and breaking her heart in the process.  
He lost count of the many times he apologized to her, and that was only in the first hour since they uncovered the news, but she purposefully ignored his attempts and that scared him more than anything.

She almost pushed herself to the limit of exhaustion and health but he couldn't do anything to stop her, for fear of her wrath and because he knew exactly how Helena had played with her that fateful night when he almost felt his heart beat out of his ribcage in panic. As worried as he was he knew she needed this.  
Despite how cunning and devious and resourceful Helena had become she was no match for Felicity, even less so when she made her the only focus of her efforts. So they found her or, more accurately, they found her second-in-command and their lackeys thus dismantling the whole organization and imprisoning each and every single one of them. But it wasn't enough, not for Felicity.

She continued working tirelessly, not liking any of the answers she came across because none served her Helena on a silver platter. He made her the same promise then that he had made to John a long time ago when Deathshot consumed his life and thoughts: they would get her and she would pay for everything she had done to them, to her, and to the city. There wasn't much more they could do, not until they had a firm location on her whereabouts; they couldn't very well chase her all over the world even if he would have done so if Felicity had told him to.  
So he convinced her to stop, he convinced her to return to him, to live their lives and wait for the dark-haired woman to make a mistake he was sure she would end up making. He was so, so wrong. He should have listened to his girlfriend's gut. It would have saved him a lot of heartache.

It was their first outing since the "Bertinelli crisis" and he wouldn't have brought them there if his sister hadn't used the Felicity-hasn't-seen-the-sunlight-in-ages card. She needed rest and peace and quiet and gallons of ice-cream after all the stress she had put herself under but he couldn't very well fight Thea's statement, it was the truth after all. She had confined herself in the foundry for days on end and a little fresh air would do her good. It also helped it was for a good cause too, one that Felicity felt very close to and, by extension, him too.

In retrospective he should have expected Helena to pull a desperate attempt like that one, because she surely had done so in the past, but he honestly didn't believe she would be so reckless and thoughtless. Felicity might not be a Queen ‐ yet ‐ but she has been by his side long enough to have a personal bodyguard, other than Digg, shadow her in that kind of events. Moreover, Helena knew Felicity's privy to his secret and his abilities and she knew he would do anything in his power to keep her safe. Add to that the fact she's a close and personal friend to the Chief of Police, who never fails to find even the stupidest reasons to add extra protection to her personal detail, and her quest was bordering suicidal. She didn't mind one bit.

The only good thing he can find in everything that happened was that the children of the orphanage were already being taken away, after an afternoon of fun and games with their newly received toys in the snowy Starling City Memorial Park. Five minutes before and it could have been a carnage.  
Despite believing to have completely dismantled her organization she still had an ace up her sleeve ‐ one he should have foreseen ‐ and she showed up covered by quite a few mercenaries. He thought he had put her to safety, he really did or he would have never dare to leave her or Thea and his mom out of his sight; he was utterly stupid.

While they fought and quickly overpowered the guns for hire Helena managed to sneak up undetected until she was right in front of Felicity's bright red coat. He never noticed the situation until Thea and his mother screamed Felicity's name because his adorably babbling girlfriend was surely keeping a tight rein on her tongue for the first time in her life.  
It had gone all so far already and he was so far away that no matter how fast he ran he knew he was never going to make it in time to stop what he was sure was coming. The only thing left for him to do was watch everything unfold as if in slow-motion feeling his heart sink to his stomach.

Felicity had positioned herself before Thea and Moira, shielding their bodies as best she could with her petite frame from the deranged woman's crossbow, leaving it pointed straight to her heart.  
He knows now she never tried to make her reason or even cower from her threats and sneers until Helena was pushed far enough and she shot her. Felicity never made it to the ground before Helena was pulled down by both Digg and Lance's firearms and Roy's knife.

He thought he knew panic with the Dodger or the first time around with Helena. He thought he knew terror with the Dollmaker, with the Count. It was nothing compared to this and neither of that had served to prepare him for it.  
Her coat was already drenched in her blood when he finally reached her and, despite the reddish hue of the woolen fabric, he could make out perfectly the darker stain that signaled her life slowly slipping away was growing steadily. She was beautiful, even in her pain, and it hurt him even more to see her look so flawless in the worst moment ever. The short arrow was still deeply embedded in her body and he just knew it would be way worse if he tore it out, so he kept as much pressure as he dared on her chest trying to block out his sister' sobs, his mother's soothing caresses on her blonde hair or even her own reassurances to him that she wasn't leaving him in favor of waiting. Only this time his goal was an ambulance he was waiting on instead of the so desired engagement ring he had known, a long time ago, he should have already given her.

He almost asked her to marry him in that moment, as desperate as he was not to lose her, but he just knew that when she recovered ‐ because she was going to be fine, there was no other option, and she had promised him ‐ she would be pissed to taint such an important question with fear. Only that made him bit his tongue but he made a promise to himself that he was going to do it, no more excuses, the very moment she was out of danger and home with him where she belonged.

"I have one collection left inside, Mr. Queen. It'll bring it out."

"Don't bother." He grumbles sharply, the tone of his voice so startlingly similar to that he uses on the low-lives in the seediest parts of the city the poor man visibly flinches. He knows he should apologize for his short temper, it's not exactly his fault he sucks at this, but he doesn't even have it in him to feel sorry. Well, that's not true, he doesn't have it in him to even feel sorry about anyone else; he surely feels sorry enough for himself. And angry and exhausted and frustrated and a million of other emotions he's still not comfortable enough feeling.

"It'll be just a moment."

He's even grumpier now, he realizes it but he doesn't care. He's barely squashing the raw need to call Felicity and make sure she's fine, safe and sound, in the mansion. She's most likely resting ‐ doctor's orders backed by Digg's, not even her stubbornness can fight that ‐ and his sister's keeping her company, she said she wouldn't leave her side for a second and he believes her. Felicity didn't only scare him half to death; she also did so to his family and all their friends. Everyone adores her and has been fussing and dotting on her 24/7, much to her embarrassment and his relief and amusement. He cannot even begin to imagine how all of them will behave when she gets pregnant. He has a feeling her loud voice will grace their ears more often than they would like… and it will do absolutely nothing to stop them.

He restlessly paces around the displays looking for something, anything, calling to him. Maybe he has been looking for the wrong item all this time and he hasn't even realized. They are far from normal ‐ both as individuals and, even more so, as a couple ‐ and, perhaps, the representation of their love and partnership should be as unique as they are. But everything's mute. Earrings, necklaces, rings… all refuse to stand up to him. He can hear the owner calling to him and he almost refuses to acknowledge him but he knows Felicity would tell him not to be rude, or ruder than he's already being, so he nears him with a sigh and he sees… something… out of the corner of his eye. He doesn't know what it is yet but it catches his eye and it's more than what's happened for months.

His hope must be shining clearly in his face and, in any other circumstance. he would be appalled at how easily he's showing his emotions to a complete stranger but not now because the man follows his gaze and instantly pulls the case out offering it to him to examine. It's the perfect representation of his Felicity. Demure yet striking, fragile looking yet strong. Best of all it's a couple's piece. Nothing makes sense without the other piece, just like they do.

"That's the _love bracelet_." Even the name is perfect, he cannot help but thinking. He twirls it carefully in his hands, running the pads of his fingertips all over the smooth surface. It really is perfect for her; it feels just like her skin does. His thumb finds the indentations of the closure, not so different from the dimples in her lower back, and he knows he's sold. He's not leaving the store without this. "It's usually made of gold, although this set is platinum. The bracelet belongs to the woman; it can only be opened or closed with the special screwdriver, the man's piece." He grabs his piece then, weighing the surprisingly heavy but tiny object. He cannot help but think it's a perfect illustration of him too. Just like this item he's also a tool, a tool without a purpose if not for the beautiful bracelet that complements it in every way. It doesn't seem to hide any kind of secret but, if you look close enough, the handle is covered in thin patterns that mar the otherwise unblemished surface. The set it's truly perfect, for both of them. "It represents two halves connected forever, useless without each other."

"It's… I… I'll take it."

"She must be a very special woman if you cannot imagine anything else to propose with."

"She's… remarkable."

"Then you're a lucky man." And he really is. He has been thinking so for years, even before he pulled his head out of his ass and finally took the chance to be with her. Oliver Queen cannot function without Felicity Smoak; it's as simple as that. He knows it, his employees know it, his family knows it, their friends know it and even some of their enemies know too. Now it's time to grill it into her very brilliant brain once and for all. "Do you want any inscription? I can have it engraved in half an hour if you're willing to wait. Or I can contact you when…"

"I can wait." He has been waiting for a long time now; a few more minutes aren't going to kill him especially now that he has found the kind of peace he never thought he would ever experience because it's finally happening. He's going to marry her. His hand shakes lightly when he writes the exact words and design he needs engraved on the inside of the bracelet but the man's surprisingly patient with him, despite his previous rudeness, and he's infinitely grateful. He cannot even begin to realize what all of this means to him. "Can you make sure it's exactly like that? It's… it's important to us."

"Of course, Mr. Queen. I'll be right outside."

He's so nervous he hasn't even realized they have been in front of the mansion for at least five minutes but Digg's also being very patient with him, although he just knows he will be making fun of him for the rest of his life when it's all over. He just doesn't care, this is the most exciting moment of his entire life and he's sure it's going to be always on top paired only with their wedding day and the birth of their children. He wouldn't have it any other way.  
For the very first time on his life, since he returned from the island, he doesn't feel any kind of pain; he's finally content. Everything he has ever gone through ‐ the good, the back, the painful, the frustrating, the fucked-up ‐ has leaded him to this; has leaded him to Felicity.

He fell in love with her slowly and unknowingly and he should have noticed he would do so from the very beginning, when he couldn't help but crack his first genuine smile in years at her fumbling fuchsia lips during their first meeting. He should have known he would end up marrying her then.  
He should have realized it when he kept going back to her, ridiculous excuse after ridiculous excuse, after he had promised himself she would only be the means to an end once. It turned out to be exactly five times before he made her a permanent fixture in the most important part of his life with a very bumpy car ride and quite a lot of blood on her backseats. Since then she has always been there and none had regretted it.  
Sure, they have had their ups and downs and close calls and fear and panic and temper tantrums and loud-voiced speeches and arguments but they have always, always, cooled down and been there for each other. That's the very essence of their relationship: they're always each other's rock, no matter what.

And that, more than anything ‐ more than her beauty, more than her empathy, even more than her intelligence ‐ made him fall hopelessly in love with her. From day one he knew he could trust her, that's the only reason he bothered to make the background check on her deciding his charm wasn't going to be enough to resolve the mystery Felicity Smoak represented. What he learnt there surprised him and didn't make any kind of sense as to what he had perceived in their short encounter and, just like that, he was hooked. He was going to solve her.  
Even after years of friendship, of partnership, there's always something new inside of her ready to be discovered and it's so refreshing and exhilarating he cannot wait to know what he will learn the very next day.

What took him years to realize was that she found him as intriguing as he did her, from the beginning too. During whispered conversations, spooning naked underneath the cover of blankets and darkness, she shared with him every single thought of those encounters. How the charm didn't actually work, how she was more interested in knowing what was inside that poorly treated laptop rather than in that smile of his, how even if she lightly accused him of corporate espionage she knew there was more in those blueprints he wasn't going to share with her, how annoyed she was that he expected her to be at his beck and call those first times just because his name was plastered in the office building, how the annoyance vanished as the pieces of the puzzle started to make a little sense even if she didn't have the full picture to assemble them yet, how hard she laughed later at his stupid sports-bottle story, how much it meant to her that he took the time to meet in a comfortable-enough space for her as she gave him the notebook that sealed their fates. Most of all she reminded him that she was very glad he had saved her from her boring and unfulfilling life when he shared his secret with her; although she always insists she could have done without the blood that never came out of the seats. And that it was her choice, always; never his nor anyone else's, but hers and no amount of guilt or poorly crafted speeches on his part would ever change her mind.

There were more times than he ever wishes to remember when he believed she was better off before, better off without him; but now he knows better. He has given her the challenge she always wanted and the rush she never believed she needed. He has presented her the family she never had and secured the friendships that always eluded her. He has presented her the companionship she never dared to dream and the happiness she always wondered if she would ever achieve. He took her out of the shadows, just like she did with him.  
Because she did nothing but challenge him; straining for him to be more, to be better. He only is what he is today because of her; he could have accomplished nothing of what he has without her gentle coaxing and no-nonsense words.  
Just like he showed her the power of adrenaline she proved him the same kind of addiction could be found in the slow, soft moments and tender moments. She provides the balance he didn't believe he would ever find again and he'll spend the rest of his life worshipping her for giving it back to him.  
Just like he gave her a new family, she also has too. She's his family and they're dying to expand it in the very near future, much to his delight. In a time where he never thought he would ever get any of the normalcy he took for granted in the past she came like a hurricane, blowing things away and resettling them in where he now knows were their proper place all the time.  
Just like he showed him the true meaning of friendship, always supporting and never judging, she showed him her own brand too. It always surprised him how much she trusted him, how much she gave up for him, how much she believed in him, how much she was willing to do for him. But, that's the thing with them, they never think what they do is enough for the other but what the other does for them is way above what they would have ever asked for. And that, he believes, it's the true meaning of friendship; the very solid friendship that cements their relationship and their love.  
Just like he is the best companion she could have ever hoped for she is his, too; and she never lets him forget it. He always thought he would return to Laurel, he always believed she was the only one he could love and create a life and a family with. He's so glad he was wrong because if there's one thing he has never had a doubt about it's that Laurel would never, under any circumstance, know what happened to him on the island or his mission as the hooded vigilante of the city. He wasn't naïve enough to believe their relationship would have worked or that he could have lived long enough to finally ask her to marry him, but his obsession garnered in the island through years of longing truly messed up his head until it was thoroughly knocked over by a little blonde IT expert and he finally saw the light.  
Just like he has given her intense happiness she has returned the favor ten times over. She would argue with him, but he just knows it's impossible to top what she has done for him; how hard she fought to bring him back, better than he had ever been, without asking for anything in return. His whole family has been at her feet since they formally met her for that very reason and it only makes him all the happier. The island never leaves him but she has made sure it stays in the past, muting its sharp colors with the new and more vibrant ones of their memories together.  
They have battled each other demons, long and hard and tirelessly, but have ended up victorious and this moment is their reward. They sure as hell deserve it.

The sound of her voice breaks him off his long revelry in the middle of the foyer and he follows it with sure steps feeling how his nerves slowly steady and his heart calms down because there's no need to be nervous. He has been ready for this for a long time now. He's also sure of what her answer will be and he's also sure this is the best decision he has made since the very first moment he entered her cubicle in the depths of Queen Consolidated's IT Department. He also knows he's not the only one wanting this to happen.  
John has made it very clear with his patience in picking him up from the store when he hadn't driven him there in the first place, with his reassuring patting on the shoulder and with his large grin. His mother's quickly wetting eyes as she catches sight of his entrance in the sitting room is also proof enough. But, surely, no one is more excited than Thea because she shrieks and claps and hugs Felicity so tightly she winces from her still tender wound and this must be one of the few times he's grateful that Roy's still around because he manages to save his soon-to-be fiancée and takes his sister away before she causes any damage.

She's confused, it's so obvious by the adorable way her nose wrinkles making her already slippery glass go further down to almost the tip, and her eyes shine with curiousness but he just watches her smiling fondly as his family parades by him, squeezing his arm tightly, leaving them alone. There's no going to be an audience of any kind, this is their moment and theirs alone. They'll share their happiness with all of them soon enough, his mom never shies away from a good party and Thea must be burning all that excessive joy planning a quick bash; if they can pry themselves out of the closed door, that is.

When her mouth opens, ready to interrogate him, he shushes her with a finger to his lips smirking as she narrows her eyes and huffs in frustration but, as much as he loves her voice, they don't need words to speak to one another.  
For most of their relationship ‐ no matter if he's talking about their working association or their friendship or their romantic entanglement ‐ their silences always speak louder than their words and that's saying something, because they can surely hit the high tones.  
Through their silences their connection grew. They are always electric, they are always meaningful and they are their defining characteristic. It also drives their loved ones nuts and they have certainly used them a lot just to rile them up. He thinks it's only fitting that if they fell in love through silences they'll seal their love with another one, the most important of them all.

So he sits by her side on the couch where she's laying, back carefully supported by at least a dozen fluffed pillows, kissing her as chastely and sweetly as he can manage before taking the box out of his jacket pocket.  
If she was confused before she's even more puzzled now as she opens it and carefully traces the edges of both the bracelet and the screwdriver. He can tell she likes them by her sudden erratic breaths. He can tell she sees them reflected in the set when her left hand shoots towards his squeezing it for dear life. And he can tell when she knows what he's really asking when her eyes shine with unshed tears and elation and she has to bite her lip so as not to break their silence. He's also swallowing his tears and biting of his smile as he kneels on the floor, kissing her ring finger first and the wrist where the bracelet will be forever locked around later.

Both their hands are shaking heavily as she passes each item for him to seal their vow and they grow impatient with their sudden inability at such an easy yet important task but, when the piece of jewelry's finally in place he knows it was all worthy. All of it. The dozens of shops he has visited over the span of 7 months, 2 weeks, 4 days and 16 hours. The 52 different proposals he came up with. All that brought him to this moment, the perfect moment, and he wouldn't change it for anything in this world. This is them in the purest form, down to their family and friends barraging in after so much waiting hooting and hollering and laughing and smiling and crying.

As all of them peruse the bracelet around her wrist in different stages of skepticism he maneuvers himself right behind her, tossing and kicking all those damned cushions separating them, and holds her tight with the screwdriver no one but them will ever know about nestled between them as it hangs, now and forever, around his neck. He's glad that, despite their words, she also thinks what he gave her is better than a ring.


End file.
